The show follows the life of the seemingly peaceful neighborhood on Wisteria Lane, but as the minutes roll by in the first episode you soon realize this neighborhood is everything but peaceful. Hidden secrets of murder, scandal and mayhem combine with the rigors of love, family and dating to bring to life one of the funniest, yet dramatic shows on network television.
Starring the likes of Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross and Nicolette Sheridan this would initially appear to be a show for only the ladies, but let me discourage that opinion right away. While many of you no doubt have caught this show already and I am the newcomer to the table, for those of you that have not seen it this is a show for both genders, hell I even heard Michael Clarke Duncan talking about it. If that big boy can watch it comfortably I think you couch potatoes can.
As for this DVD set Buena Vista has put together quite the package. Ranging from extended episodes, to deleted scenes and several featurettes this collection packs a punch that takes you even further down Wisteria Lane and trust me there is more than enough dirt to be discovered.
Delving into the bonus features you are going to find several deleted scenes (all with optional commentary from creator Marc Cherry), making of featurettes focused on the casting process, costumes, set design and more, a blooper reel, extended episodes, TV spots and even Oprah. Out of the bunch you will find gems in each.
Of the features, two of them really stood out in my mind. While many people will find the Marc Cherry commentaries and the commentaries by the four housewives on their two favorite episodes each enjoyable I thought the best of the bunch was certainly the stroll down Wisteria Lane interview "The View's" Meredith Viera did with show creator Marc Cherry. He details in the interview the origins of the show, how it almost wasn't called "Desperate Housewives" (instead one producer wanted it to be "The Secret Lives of Housewives"), how the Van De Camp family is based on his family and he even reveals a few secrets from season two. Get this, Andrew Van De Camp is going to get quite naughty, Cherry says, "What he does to Bree is just so hideous, I am going to get letters, but it's going to be great."
Also when Cherry is asked how he is able to write women so well he says, "As a gay man, you know the way I relate to women I don't look at them as objects of sexual desire I really look at them as friends. What I want from them is humor or intelligence, or wit. I see them as different kinds of creatures so consequently I listen to them differently. I never have an agenda with them."
The second feature I really enjoyed is really two features I am lumping as one and that is the multi-territory features which show the impact the show has had around the globe as well as a multi-language reel featuring the infamous Bree's Dinner Party where Bree drops the secret that Rex cries after he ejaculates, easily one of the funniest moments in season one.
Overall, this show is phenomenal and one of the reasons is that it certainly always leaves cliffhangers but the season finale managed to close down several open storylines the first season offered all while opening up so many more.
If you haven't done so already get on the "Desperate Housewives" bandwagon. You won't be alone.